Tag: 2010s

Once More I Can See (from “Wonderland”)

“Once More I Can See” is from Frank Wildhorn‘s 2011 Broadway musical Wonderland, a contemporary setting of Lewis Carroll‘s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass.” Performed here by Janet Dacal, the song features a key change at 2:05.

Jay Som | Tenderness

From our follower Alex Gold comes the 2019 track “Tenderness” by Jay Som. Known as a DIY/”bedroom pop” singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, the LA-based Som released her first tracks via the Bandcamp platform. The New York Times calls Som “a nimble, honest songwriter (who) never sacrifices grooves or hooks for some forced idea of lo-fi intimacy.”

The fast 12/8 groove, which initially takes its sweet time falling into place during the intro, drops out at 1:14. Then the groove returns with much more force a few seconds later before a big modulation, jumping up a perfect fourth, hits at 3:15.

The Maccabeats + Naturally 7 | Shed a Little Light

This tune features more of a key-of-the-moment shift than a true modulation, but we hope we’ll be forgiven. ❤ Here are two top-drawer a capella ensembles, The Maccabeats and Naturally 7, collaborating on a gorgeous 2016 cover of James Taylor‘s “Shed a Little Light” (1991), honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. amid Washington, DC’s monuments.

Set overall in Bb major, the tune shifts to a v minor / bVII major / I major vamp as the bridge starts at 1:53, returning to a straightforward Bb major at 2:17.

Frank McComb | Somebody Like You

Our follower Christopher Fox submitted keyboardist/vocalist Frank McComb‘s 2013 track “Somebody Like You.” This relaxed video follows McComb on a tour of the Netherlands. According to AllMusic, McComb has collaborated with a laundry list of artists: Rude Boys, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Chaka Khan, Prince, Will Smith, Najee, George Duke, Gamble and Huff, Patrice Rushen, and many more. In 1994, McComb collaborated extensively with saxophonist Branford Marsalis on the jazz-rap fusion project Buckshot Lefonque.

After the short but punchy bridge at 2:54, the modulation hits at 3:13.

Kirk Whalum | Love Is the Answer

Although the original 1977 version by Todd Rundgren‘s Utopia wasn’t a charting single, a cover by England Dan and John Ford Coley attained a #10 position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1978, as well as a #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Rundgren’s original featured cascading hybrid chords in a few spots; Dan & Coley’s version was slightly simplified harmonically. Here, R&B/Jazz crossover artist, tenor saxophonist Kirk Whalum, leads a big band in a 2015 version that is even further smoothed out harmonically, but features a gorgeous modulation that the other versions lack!

Many thanks for a great 2019, and to MotD follower, musician, and Rundgren fan Ari Shagal for this submission. All the best for 2020, Modulation Nation!

The 1975 | I Couldn’t Be More In Love

UK band The 1975 met while living in a council flat as teens. Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Matthew Healy describes the group as “a post-modern pop band that references a million things. I don’t even know what my band is half the time.”

“I Couldn’t Be More In Love,” a languid ballad from the band’s 2018 album A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, fits squarely into the breakup anthem category. Soul-infused harmonies pivot back and forth throughout, further underlined by a growing choir of backup vocals. Just as it seems that the tune is tapering to an end, a late half-step modulation hits at 3:12 as the chorus comes roaring back.

Yo-Yo Ma + Alison Krauss | The Wexford Carol

Here’s “The Wexford Carol,” performed by genre-jumping cellist Yo-Yo Ma and bluegrass/country vocalist and violinist Alison Krauss. Gently arranged over a colorless Eb drone, the piece switches from Eb major to Eb minor and back to Eb major within each verse. The carol’s origins are shrouded in mystery; according to Digital Medievalist, some claim that it dates back as far as the 12th century, though that seems unlikely. What’s known for certain is that in the late 1800s, it was incorporated into Oxford Book of Carols, likely the world’s best best known carol compilation.

Many thanks to first-time MotD contributor Steven Travis for this track!